Chapter Eighty-Five: Imperial Realm Abode

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"Um... Miss, I truly meant no offense. I did not expect any spiritual matters here..."
"Please accept my condolences..."
Lin Cheng felt conflicted as the woman gazed at him.
"He was my enemy..." The woman's gentle voice flowed like a mountain spring, refreshing the soul.
Lin Cheng knew well who she referred to. "The departed are gone; even the deepest resentment can be swept away by the wind..."
The woman withdrew her gaze and looked up at the night sky, murmuring to herself, "Distant waters are shrouded in mist, swift boats hurry by, half a cup of tea remains, yet a lifetime has passed. Endless waves stretch far away—why must the crabapple bear the blame of flowing waters?"
Sensing the longing in her words, Lin Cheng was moved. "If you don't mind, I would be honored to listen, to lend my ears."
The woman glanced at Lin Cheng, her eyes gradually revealing a trace of reminiscence:
"This village is called Frost Cloud, renowned for its strict ceremonies and the virtue of obedience, especially condemning infidelity..."
"There was a woman named Hua Rong, betrothed early to the village chief's son. Yet fate played cruel tricks. She inadvertently saved a man, and love blossomed in secret. They promised to elope together, but all she found was a farewell letter left overnight..."
"On her wedding day, she discovered she was pregnant..."
"The chief, upon learning this, flew into a rage. No matter how they pressed her, she refused to divulge the father's name. He decided then and there to drown her in a pig cage..."
"The villagers believed Hua Rong had lost her virtue and shamed Frost Cloud Village, unanimously agreeing to execute her..."
"The chief's son, though heartbroken by Hua Rong's actions, could not bear such a fate for his beloved. He protected her, but forbade her from ever returning to Frost Cloud Village..."
"The child was born in a hut outside the village..."
"In the days that followed, Hua Rong would hold her infant and stand beneath the old locust tree by the hut, gazing into the distance..."
"Her eyes brimmed with hope and expectation, as if she could see through time, waiting for the one she loved to return..."
"Waiting for her beloved to come home..."
As Lin Cheng listened to her tale and saw the mist gathering in her eyes, a wave of sorrow overcame him.
"Did she ever see him again?" Lin Cheng asked softly.
The woman slowly shook her head. "She died from illness... Even to her last breath, her gaze lingered toward the direction he left..."
Lin Cheng stepped forward gently, looking at her. "You are that child, aren't you?"
The woman said nothing, but turned to cover the coffin lid with her hand.
Lin Cheng's eyes narrowed at the sight.
"You must have guessed already. Yes, this is a realm within a realm, yet it truly exists..."
"I am that infant. Hua Rong was my mother, and the man in this coffin is the heartless one she waited for..."
"I killed him myself..." As she spoke, her aura suddenly grew cold and chilling.
"Good riddance!" Lin Cheng exclaimed, indignant.
The woman looked at him, surprised.
After a moment's thought, she said, "This is one of the trials I left behind years ago. The way to pass lies beneath the old locust tree at the edge of the village..."
"I am merely a projection—I cannot aid you. Whether you pass the trial depends entirely on yourself..."

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"Perhaps we shall meet again..."
As the beautiful woman's voice faded into the ether, her figure shimmered with light, her body gradually dissolving from bottom to top.
"Are you saying I'm currently inside the Imperial Realm's cave mansion?"
Lin Cheng hurriedly asked, incredulous that he had just entered the secret realm only to be sent directly into the Imperial Realm's cave mansion.
The woman did not reply, only curling her lips into a faint smile for Lin Cheng.
Her face finally transformed into points of light and vanished into the world.
The scene remained unchanged—the spirit coffin still stood in the courtyard, the barking of village dogs continued intermittently.
Lin Cheng turned and left the courtyard, passing several brightly lit homes. He knocked on their doors, but no one answered.
It was as if the village contained not a single living soul.
A chill wind swept by, and Lin Cheng shivered.
He made his way to the old locust tree at the village edge. Bathed in moonlight, he examined it closely but found nothing unusual.
Since the woman had said this was a trial, perhaps only by passing it could he leave this space.
Everything here carried a strange air; he had to find a way out.
He went forward and touched the old locust tree, frowning.
"Cough, cough!"
At that moment, a cough sounded from the unremarkable hut nearby.
The pitch-black hut was unlit.
The sudden sound nearly scared Lin Cheng out of his wits.
Swallowing nervously, Lin Cheng asked, "Who's there?"
Cough, cough, cough...
The coughing returned, followed by a hoarse voice: "Is she still here?"
Lin Cheng, apprehensive, approached the hut and peered inside, finally discerning its contents.
A simple wooden bed, a vine-woven recliner, nothing else.
An elderly man lay in the recliner, his face withered, breath weak, eyes dull.
Lin Cheng bowed respectfully. "Are you asking about the immortal maiden?"
The old man struggled to sit up, his eyes clearing slightly as he scrutinized Lin Cheng, then nodded. "A hundred years have passed, and her hatred for Frost Cloud Village has not lessened..."
Lin Cheng: "Elder, you wouldn't happen to be a mere projection as well?"
The old man laughed at himself. "If only I were a projection, then I would not have to endure all this..."
Lin Cheng did not understand and asked, "Elder, where have the villagers gone? Why are the houses lit, yet no one answers?"
Hearing Lin Cheng's question, tears welled up in the old man's eyes. He choked, "Dead, they're all dead..."

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"All of them were killed by her."
Lin Cheng was stunned.
Although he had suspected as much, confirmation sent chills down his spine.
Cough, cough...
The old man coughed, overcome by sorrow.
A cold wind slipped into the hut, scratching his throat.
Each cough brought forth a sob, each cough a struggle.
Lin Cheng took out a few pills and handed them to the old man.
He shook his head. "No need. Living and dying are no different now..."
"Back then, Frost Cloud Village wronged her. Her mother's death is inseparable from us. All is karmic retribution..."
"I do not blame her!"
Lin Cheng sighed inwardly. If only that man had kept his promise and taken Hua Rong away, none of this misfortune would have come to pass.
"Elder, do you know any secrets of the old locust tree?"
"Or do you know how to leave here?" Lin Cheng asked.
The old man lifted his clouded eyes, gazing through the door at the locust tree. "The tree itself holds no secret—it's the person beneath it..."
The person beneath the tree?
Lin Cheng turned to look, but saw nothing.
Was the old man trying to frighten him?
Sensing Lin Cheng's confusion, the old man spoke again, "When the darkness lifts and dawn arrives, you will understand..."
The night deepened.
Moonlight shattered across the ground, hiding within illness and pain.
The blind chase after faint music, the hollow drift in lonely boats.
No trace of spring, only a few strands of white hair and two measures of hidden sickness.
Afraid the night will intoxicate, and the heart's beloved be forgotten.
The long night is lonely; looking back, who stands with me, sleeves dusted with frost?
Dwelling in the wilds, entrusting a fleeting life to the cold cicada, ending in autumn's grave.
Listening quietly to the old man's tale, to his story, to their story...
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